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9:31 AM Thu 7 May 2009 GMT
 | | 'Richard Slater (BMW Oracle Racing Rules Advisor), Melinda Erkelens (BMW Oracle Racing General Counsel) & Manolo Ruiz de Elvira (BMW Oracle Racing Team Designer)pose at the 23 April Mutual Consent meeting'
Carlo Borlenghi / Alinghi© |
The new Challenger of Record, has told the Defender of the America's Cup to stick the second Mutual Consent proposed for 11 May in Switzerland.
In a tersely wordly letter, Golden Gate Yacht Club, represented on the water by BMW Oracle Racing has declined the invitation to attend a second Mutual Consent meeting proposed by the Defender, Societe Nautique de Geneve, for 11 May, just three days before the parties are due to make yet another appearace in the New York Supreme Court.
In their letter to Fred Meyer, Vice-Commodore and Chairman, of SNG's America's Cup Committee, Goldn Gate Yacht Club Commodore, Marcus Young says:
'We write in response to your letters of April 23 and May 5, 2009. They contain numerous self- serving factual statements that we believe are entirely inaccurate, and we strongly disagree with many of the positions that you have taken in those letters.
'Therefore, and regrettably, we fmd it hard to believe that your invitation to meet before the Court hearing on May 14, 2009 is anything but a litigation tactic.
'We will respond substantively to your letters after next Thursday's hearing. In the meantime, and with this letter, we waive no rights and make no admissions, and reserve all rights on all matters.
Sincerely,'
Earlier, Meyer had expressed surprise at Golden Gate's lack of reaction to their proposed dates for the 33rd Match, maintaining that they were just floating the idea under Mutual Consent.
For their part Golden Gate were more interested in pursuing a Multi Challenger Match under Mutual Consent, and did not wish to discuss dates for a Deed of Gift Match, particularly when the dates were in contravention of the New York Supreme Court Order.
Lorenzo Rizzardi, President of Circolo Vela Gargnano the Italian club who generously wrote:
'We are writing to express to you our willingness to participate in a multi-challenger event in multi-hull vessels.
Our team has actively prepared to participate in the 33'' America's Cup and we intend to compete in multi-hulls provided enough time is given to the challengers to prepare.
'We are a yacht club eligible under the provisions of the Deed of Gift and we represent Italy, a country that has consistently taken part to all America's Cup editions in the last 25 years and that it is widely recognized as being among the top sailing nations and ship builders in the world.
'Recognizing that the Defender and current Challenger of record have expressed their willingness for a multi-challenger event, we encourage you to open a challenger selection process and to make arrangements on the dates, courses, number of trials, rules and sailing regulations, and any and all other conditions of the races.
'While we acknowledge that all involved yacht clubs have invested and will invest lot of time and resources in building their vessels, we know that a regatta in multi-hull vessels will cause the greatest interest in the sport of sailing and in the America's Cup community and we are looking forward to competing in the 33 America's Cup very soon.
For your information, the same letter has been sent to Soci?t? Nautique de Gen?ve, We urge you to reply to our genuine request as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
President Rizzardi, got a shorter, sharper version of the same song, again from Marcus Young:
'Thank you for your letter of 6 May 2009 concerning the 331(1 America's Cup ('AC33'). We note that your Club sponsored the +39 Challenge for the 32' America's Cup.
As you will be aware, there is litigation pending concerning AC33. It would be inappropriate to comment further on your letter until that litigation is resolved.
Sincerely, '
The door would therefore appear to be jammed firmly closed on any further discussion ahead of the NY Supreme Court appearance, next thursday. And no doubt the Swiss and Italian overtures will get another airing in front of Justice Kornreich in NewYork.
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World
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